There is a detailed discussion here which may be of interest: Stoves and CookwareAnd there is another about food 'cos I guessing that will be your next question: Food Suggestions

Cooking ranks low on my agenda - If I can get them I'd rather have a steak and a couple of pints, but I usually make oats for breakfast (well, for breakfast 1), cup of soups and tea anytime and if no better option some kind of quick to reheat meal from the plethora of offerings available in the supermarket these days.

The Sea to Summit 10lt kitchen sink, has been promoted to a tub for washing clothes. The Coghlans Sierra Saw is for making tent poles and gathering fire wood. The wind shield is made from caterers foil and it gets folded up. I like to take two burners, an MSR Pocket Rocket and a Kovea Eagle with ISO/Butane-Propane. The blue cutting board is from Woolies HOME ESSENTIALS section, it is 5mm thick and cut and sanded fairly from a larger board. The cutlery is from Sea to Summit. The knife is from Lebendwell. The water filter is an MSR Miniworks, and takes a wide mouthed Nalgen bottle. The 2 lt billy and 375ml cup are stainless and the pots are from Trangia. A small pair of tongs and a flint striker.

Warren.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

WarrenH wrote: I like to take two burners, an MSR Pocket Rocket and a Kovea Eagle with ISO/Butane-Propane. Warren.

They look like good sized gas canisters Wazza.I just grabbed a Pocketrocket myself to complement my Trangia and was wondering about which canisters to buy.What are those ones worth?Are they a straight fit or do they need any adapter?

Came across this item during my foray into Anaconda at Fyshwick a few weeks ago.

A great (?) collection of lightweight and fully functional camp cooking accessories. Kitchen Bits feature the contents of the Kitchen Kit with a few extras. The bottles are incredibly handy for herbs, spices, olive oil, vinegar or any other culinary condiments.

Features

Even more bits than their large Kitchen Kit Loads of bottles and/or jars, mini grater, whisk and chopping board Yes one of those items is a grater, also a whisk and a rip off of the ol’ faithful army can opener.

WarrenH wrote: I like to take two burners, an MSR Pocket Rocket and a Kovea Eagle with ISO/Butane-Propane. Warren.

They look like good sized gas canisters Wazza.I just grabbed a Pocketrocket myself to complement my Trangia and was wondering about which canisters to buy.What are those ones worth?Are they a straight fit or do they need any adapter?

Warren may have a different view, but in my experience I prefer to carry two of the medium size canisters rather than one large canister. It works out the same quantity, but for some reason I've found the large canisters to taper off in heat output much quicker. It seems the pressure drops when the canister is still quite full, and in contrast the medium size ones burn at nearly full pressure then run out in the last few minutes of their use.

You want iso-butane/propane, not the butane/propane. It does make quite a difference - again full pressure for longer. Something to do with the butane and propane vapourising at different rates due to different boiling points I think. If all the butane burns off you are left with just propane which burns poorly. Another trick (that I have done on occasion) is to take your gas canister into your sleeping bag on cold nights to keep it warm, or put it in there when you wake up - the morning output will be much better.

MSR canisters are quite expensive - about $13 for the medium size. Kovea are exactly the same gas and about $7 each. All these canisters are threaded with a universal thread that fits all such small canister stoves.

The Pocket Rocket has a jet-blast noise that will wake the dead, but when you hear it it is cooking your dinner very well. Flame control is excellent on these stoves.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

il padrone wrote:Warren may have a different view, but in my experience I prefer to carry two of the medium size canisters rather than one large canister. It works out the same quantity, but for some reason I've found the large canisters to taper off in heat output much quicker. It seems the pressure drops when the canister is still quite full, and in contrast the medium size ones burn at nearly full pressure then run out in the last few minutes of their use.

You want iso-butane/propane, not the butane/propane. It does make quite a difference - again full pressure for longer. Something to do with the butane and propane vapourising at different rates due to different boiling points I think. If all the butane burns off you are left with just propane which burns poorly. Another trick (that I have done on occasion) is to take your gas canister into your sleeping bag on cold nights to keep it warm, or put it in there when you wake up - the morning output will be much better.

MSR canisters are quite expensive - about $13 for the medium size. Kovea are exactly the same gas and about $7 each. All these canisters are threaded with a universal thread that fits all such small canister stoves.

The Pocket Rocket has a jet-blast noise that will wake the dead, but when you hear it it is cooking your dinner very well. Flame control is excellent on these stoves.

Thanks for the tips IPI'll look at grabbing a couple of medium Kovea canisters on Monday.Bike24 had the Pocketrocket for a good price and as I had some other stuff to get, I threw the stove into the mix.

Just as a guide rifraf, one medium iso-butane/propane canister will last me for 3-4 days, with breakfasts of porridge and tea, and cooked dinners (not just 'boil in the pack' meals). If I take two I should be right for a week, but to avoid surprises I usually try to carry one more than I need. The only major issue with these canisters (besides disposal after the trip) is the inability to transport them on any air flights. Stove is fine, canisters are 'no-go'.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

il padrone wrote:It works out the same quantity, but for some reason I've found the large canisters to taper off in heat output much quicker. It seems the pressure drops when the canister is still quite full, and in contrast the medium size ones burn at nearly full pressure then run out in the last few minutes of their use.

You want iso-butane/propane, not the butane/propane. It does make quite a difference - again full pressure for longer. Something to do with the butane and propane vapourising at different rates due to different boiling points I think. If all the butane burns off you are left with just propane which burns poorly. Another trick (that I have done on occasion) is to take your gas canister into your sleeping bag on cold nights to keep it warm, or put it in there when you wake up - the morning output will be much better.

I've always preferred to carry two canisters just in case one leaks.

The performance of isobutane/propane stoves falls off in cool weather because the temperature of the canister drops below the evaporation point of the gas. You can liven them up by rubbing the canister vigorously between your hands. If you have a stove with a vaporising tube such my Snowpeak GigaPower BF, or like the one mentioned in this thread, or the Optimus Vega, then you can invert the canister and you will never have this problem.

I haven't used my canister stoves much lately because it's a problem disposing of the canisters, preferring instead the metho burner I've posted previously. Recently however I found this little device - the Jetboil CrunchIt. Now the canister can be emptied, pierced, flattened and binned, so I might resurrect my Pocket Rocket.

rifraf wrote:They look like good sized gas canisters ... what are those ones worth?Are they a straight fit or do they need any adapter?

Rif G'day. Those canisters are the high-performance canisters. ISO-Butane/Propane Fuel with a net weight 460g. The weight of the canister when it's full is 645g. I'd buy the Kovea canisters if the stores sill stocked them here, in the ACT.

The ones I use are;44% N-Butane20% ISO-Butane27% Propane.

These canisters don't have a lower performance in the cold or at higher altitudes, well above sea level. The equivalent Kovea canisters are just as good. Two 460g canisters lasts me about 3 weeks of heavy use, that includes much boiling/s of water. Prices can range from, $13.50 at Camping World and can be $1 cheaper at other stores, in my neck of the bush. I usually buy a few of them, when they are on special.

I left my cooking gear outside, during my recent winter tour ... and the fuel kicked over first go, even at -8°C, in Taralga and on the BNT at Hogans Flat, I was told by a grazier that it had been -10°C overnight.

I like the high-performance stuff because at higher altitudes in the cold, especially on the Divide, the fuel is first class. On the Bannaby Range above Swallow Tail Pass, cold and wet.

I used to buy the smaller Koveas but the camping stores that I frequent, no longer stock them. At Westermans Hut, on the BNT in the Southern ACT.

On the last trip, at Broken Bridge on the BNT beside the Wollondilly River, I found an apple tree that had, what looks like Cox's Orange Pippins, possibly planted in the 1800s. The apples were small (typically Cox's size about 45mm dia) but adozen of them, sure made a nice dessert treat. Having two burners, can give several different dishes, in half the time.

Warren.

PS, I also take a few squares of Hexamine as well. Just in case.

Last edited by WarrenH on Sun Aug 18, 2013 11:07 am, edited 4 times in total.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

WarrenH wrote:I like the high-performance stuff because at higher altitudes in the cold, especially on the Divide, the fuel is first class.

Warren, the stove will fire up very well if the canister is cold - no worries. The problem is more about the intensity of the burn, and the burn-off of butane while the propane still remains. If you have warmed the canister in your sleeping bag, even for 1/2 hr, you will be amazed at how much fiercer it will burn, and the propane will be vapourised so the fuel will burn more completely.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

These canisters don't have a lower performance in the cold or at higher altitudes, well above sea level.

Wassa, according to MSR:

"MSR IsoPro is a performance-boosting, 80/20 blend of isobutane and propane, with the purest isobutane (5% or less n-butane) of any canister fuel. This clean-burning formulation maintains higher internal pressure at lower temperatures than standard butane/propane mixtures, delivering superior cold weather performance and more consistent output over the life of the canister."

I have used Kovea, Coleman and MSR canisters on three separate traverses of the Overland Track, all in spring. Only the MSR canisters gave good cold weather performance. Initially I was reluctant to buy MSR canisters due to the high comparative price, but I now understand why they are more expensive.

Can I just say that, as another human being, I feel blessed to be involved with such awesomely dedicated, interested and involved people. I can't even begin to count the number of times I have read through a thread like this and learnt HEAPS. I now know to interrogate the fuel mix of my canisters!

Petie, I've learnt a lot thanks to Ron and Peter and others of course, as well. Cheers guys, for your wisdom.

I've learnt that; Primus High-Performance ISO-Butane/Propane gas that I used on my last trip, is only high-performance, when the ambient temperature reaches 10°C then the contents are burnt consistent to a performance rate. That's crazy because I was very happy with the longevity of the Primus canisters and thought that they handled the cold well. Nor did I experience a noticeable fall-off in performance as the canisters reached empty, apart from the last 30 seconds, which gave a spluttering burn.

That; the Author of the article, that Peter aka il Padrone linked, in his response to comments posted below his article, wrote, in relation to Kovea fuel, If only 70% Iso-butane and 30% Propane were available here! I dream of such a nice mix. Alas, but it appears the nervous Nellies that regulate such things have decided that such a mix isn't safe enough. Even our Powermax fuel is of a lesser grade than elsewhere. I've seen 60/40 butane/propane Powermax canisters outside the US. All we have here is 65/35.

I got good longevity from the Kovea fuel when I used it. It is a shame that I can no longer find it. Ordering it off the web ... just can't happen?

MSR fuel, although more than double the price of the Primus fuel, by volume, appears to have next Autumn and Winter written on it, for me. I'm hoping that the saving in weight (a canister or two less, carried) may usurp the increase in cost. It is good that MSR fuel is readily found here, in the ACT.

Going on MSR being actually higher-performance in both the cold and at higher altitudes than lesser gas blends ... how could one use a Trangia burner then, performance wise? I used a Trangia burner with 10% water added to the Metho to reduce the carbon black on pots ... for two decades. I guess that I'm a slow learner. I thought that adding 10% water, was being high tech.

Now I can melt gold.

Warren.

Last edited by WarrenH on Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"But on steep descending...Larson TT have bad effect on the mind of a rider" - MadRider from Suji, Korea 2001.

Wassa, I suspect those large canisters you have been using contain enough propane and isobutane to see you through those frosty mornings, but if you were using the smaller canisters they would run out quickly leaving only the n-butane.

There were walkers using Trangias on the OT when I was there. They were difficult to light and slow to get going, but eventually got the job done.

Same with my Evernew metho burner last spring in EnZed. It was quite difficult to light on frosty mornings, but the Evernew warms up fairly quickly.

I still like the Pocket Rocket as a backup stove, but have reservations about the stability of stove and pot sitting on top of a canister. So although it is heavier and bulkier I prefer the Snowpeak BF (blended fuel) stove if cold weather is anticipated.

RonK wrote:Wassa, I suspect those large canisters you have been using contain enough propane and isobutane to see you through those frosty mornings, but if you were using the smaller canisters they would run out quickly leaving only the n-butane.

Strangely, not my experience. I found the larger Kovea canisters dropped off in heat output when still 1/2 - 1/3 full. The medium size ones gave a much more complete, consistent burn right to the end. MSR canisters of the medium size gave the same sort of performance (but I was rarely camping much in sub-zero temps). MSR do not make the larger size, only medium and small.

Riding bikes in traffic - what seems dangerous is usually safe; what seems safe is often more dangerous.

I used to have a Optimus 111C for many years (it was confiscated at the airport).You guys on the forum convinced me to try the Trangia, which I did and like it very much as a system.It was also the consensus of the forum that the Pocketrocket complimented the Trangia well for shorter trips.So I grabbed one.I've come across the complaint of stability in other forums so put the above linked canister stand in my bike24 watchlist.I am however toying with the idea of a Primus Omnifuel stove, which can stand alone or be made to fit the Trangia.Its just a thought currently as I miss the "fun" of the multifuel Optimus.As I do have to carry a fuel bottle anyway, I'm wondering if the added weight of the Omnifuel might be overlooked for its convenience factor with the multi-fuel (including gas canisters) choice.

I believe the Omnifuel is a little more versatile than Trangias own new multifuel burner in that it can be used as a standalone unit.Again pure speculation on my part currently

I suggest you get an X Set like I'm using, or at least an X plate. It's more than a plate, it's a cutting board and it's a stable and insulating platform on which to place your stove for those times when you need to cook in a vestibule. I've used my Clickstand stove in this way quite a few times when it has been raining or the sandflies have driven me into the tent.

Better still, ditch the Pocket Rocket and get the new 178g Optimus Vega or 187g MSR Windpro II. I'm tempted to add the Vega to my stove collection.